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64th CongressI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

2d Session i 



f Document 
1 No. 2141 



SAMUEL J. TRIBBLE 

(Late a Representative from Georgia) 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-FOURTH CONGRESS 
SECOND SESSION 



Proceedings in the House 
February 4, 1917 



Proceedings in the Senate 
February 25, 1917 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 




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WASHINGTON 
1917 




0, •- ••• 

FEB 21.1919 



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TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 

Proceedings in the House.- 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D.D 5, 8 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Charles G. Edwards, of Georgia 11 

Mr. Thomas M. Bell, of Georgia 18 

Mr. Richard W. Austin, of Tennessee 21 

Mr. Dudley M. Hughes, of Georgia 22 

Mr. Edmund Piatt, of New York 25 

Mr. William S. Howard, of Georgia 27 

Mr. John R. Farr, of Pennsylvania 29 

Mr. James H. Davis, of Texas 31 

Mr. Gordon Lee, of Georgia _ 33 

Mr. Charles R. Crisp, of Georgia 38 

Mr. Lemuel P. Padgett, of Tennessee 46 

Mr. William C. Adamson, of Georgia 49 

Mr. Frank Park, of Georgia 53 

Mr. James W. Wise, of Georgia 57 

Mr. Carl Vinson, of Georgia 61 

Mr. J. Thomas Heflin, of Alabama 65 

Mr. Tinsley W. Rucker, of Georgia 66 

Proceedings in the Senate 73 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Thomas W. Hardwick, of Georgia 77 

Mr. Hoke Smith, of Georgia 79 

Funeral addresses by — 

Rev. James William Lynch, D. D., pastor of the First 

Baptist Church, Athens, Ga 39 

Rev. E. L. Hill, D. D., pastor of the Presbyterian 

Church, Athens, Ga 44 



L3] 




HON-SAMUEL J.TRIBBLE 



DEATH OF HON. SAMUEL J. TRIBBLE 



Proceedings in the House of Representatives 

Saturday, December 9. 1916. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Grant us, most merciful Father, a keener insight into 
and a broader conception of the things eternal, that we 
may be inspired to do the work Thou hast given us to do 
now with patience, endurance, and efficiency, and be pre- 
pared to meet the changes in the things temporal with 
perfect faith and confidence in the overruling of Thy prov- 
idence for the good of mankind. Our hearts are pro- 
foundly touched by the sudden and unexpected death of a 
Member of this body. Comfort his colleagues and friends, 
especially tlie bereaved wife and children, with the 
precious promises of the immortality' of the soul, that they 
may look forward with bright anticipations to a reunion 
in the realm where sorrows never enter and where the 
continuity of life is not broken, but flows on to larger and 
nobler existence. And all praise shall be Thine, in the 
spirit of Him who said, " I am the resurrection and the 
life. He that believeth on me shall never die." Amen. 

Mr Adamson. Mr. Speaker, it becomes my sad duty to 
announce to the House the death of our colleague, the 
Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, a Representative from the State 
of Georgia, which occurred yesterday morning in this 
city at 7 o'clock. 

15] 



Memorial Addresses: Repeiesentative Tribble 

It is not my purpose at this time to indulge in any- 
extended remarks toucliing the services and life and char- 
acter of our deceased comrade, but at some future time 
I shall request the House to set apart a day on which an 
appropriate tribute can be paid to the memory of the 
deceased. At present I offer the resolutions which I send 
to the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the resolutions. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, a Representative from tlie 
State of Georgia. 

Resolved, That a committee of 17 Members of the House, witli 
such Members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to 
attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to talce such steps as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and that tlie necessary 
expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The Speaker. The question is on agreeing to the reso- 
lutions. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will announce the members 
of the committee appointed on behalf of the House to 
attend the funeral. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Mr. Edwards, Mr. Crisp, Mr. Wise, Mr. Bell, Mr. Vinson, Mr. 
Lobeck, Mr. Godwin of North Carolina, Mr. Cullop, Mr. Austin, 
Mr. Mudd, Mr. Kelley, Mr. Farr, Mr. Adamson, Mr. Howard, Mr. 
Lee, Mr. Walker, Mr. Hughes, and Mr. Park. 



[6] 



Proceedings in the House 



A message from the Senate, by Mr. Waldorf, one of 
its clerks, announced that the Senate had passed the fol- 
lowing resolutions: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the 
announcement of the death of Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, late a 
Representative from the State of Georgia. 

Resolved, That a committee of nine Senators be appointed by 
■ the Vice President to join a committee appointed on the part of 
the House of Representatives to take order for superintending the 
funeral of the deceased. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to the 
family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

And in compliance with the foregoing resolutions the 
Presiding Officer had appointed as the committee under 
the second resolution Mr. Smith of Georgia, Mr. Hard- 
wick, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Johnson of Maine, Mr. Ashurst, Mr. 
Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Norris, Mr. Sterling, and 
Mr. Fernald. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the concluding reso- 
lution. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect, the House do now 
adjourn. 

The Speaker. The question is on agreeing to the reso- 
lution. 

The resolution was unanimously agreed to. 

Accordingly (at 12 o'clock and 15 minutes p. m.) the 
House adjourned until Monday, December 11, 1916, at 
12 o'clock noon. 



[7] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

Friday, January 19, 1917. 

Mr. RuCKER, of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that Sunday, February' 4, 1917, be set apart for 
addresses upon the life, character, and public services of 
Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, late a Representative from the 
State of Georgia. 

The Speaker. Without objection, the order will be 
agreed to. 

There was no objection. 

Sunday, February 4, 1917. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon and was called to 
order by Mr. Adamson as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Chaplain. Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

O Lord, our God, whose name evokes awe, reverence, 
gratitude, trust, which men hallow upon their lips in 
worship, be with us, we beseech Thee, as we assemble on 
this holy Sabbath day to pay our tribute in sacred memory 
to a Member of this House who has been called to the 
higher life, and who was chosen by his constituents year 
after year to represent their interests, an earnest of the 
trust reposed in his ability, sincerity, and nobility of pur- 
pose. His heart went out not only to the interests of his 
people but to his State and Nation with patriotic zeal and 
fervor, a consistent member of the church of his choice, 
an earnest and faithful worker in the Sunday school, be- 
loved by all. Peace be to his ashes and repose to his soul. 
Be Thou with his colleagues, friends, his bereaved wife 
and children, that they may cherish his memory, copy his 
virtues, and look forward with faith to a happy reunion 
beyond the confines of this world, where peace, joy, and 
happiness shall reign forever. Through Him who lived 
and died that we might know Thee and dwell with Thee 
evermore. Amen. 

[8] 



Proceedings in the House 



The Clerk read as follows: 

On motion of Mr. Rucker, of Georgia, by unanimous consent, 
Ordered, That Sunday, February 4, 1917, be set apart for ad- 
dresses upon the life, character, and public services of Hon. 
Samuel J. Tribble, late a Representative from the State of Georgia. 

Mr. Bell. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolutions 
which I send to the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will report the 
resolutions. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended in 
order that opportunity may be given for tribute to the memory of 
Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, late a Member of this House from the 
State of Georgia. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career, the House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand 
adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The question is on agreeing 
to the resolutions. 

The question was taken, and the resolutions were 
unanimously agreed to. 



[9] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Edwards, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker: These are always sad occasions, and out 
of them should come lessons to the living as well as 
tributes to the dead. I earnestly hope the tributes to-day 
will at least give a measure of comfort and consolation 
to the bereaved family and to the thousands of friends 
who loved the late Congressman Samuel J. Tribble, to 
whose tender memoi-y these eulogies are paid as our last 
tribute of respect and affection. 

It is called death, but there is no death for those who 
believe in God and live true to that belief. The body 
passes away, and goes to its last long sleep to awaken no 
more until the dawn of the morning on that great day 
when " we shall know each other as we are known," 
in that beautiful realm beyond this vale of tears. We 
miss our friend Mr. Tribble from the places where we 
used to see him — he has gone to that long sleep — but 
there is no death for such a soul as was a part of the 
Christian-hearted Samuel J. Tribble. His body is dead, 
but for the soul of the Christlike there is no death, and 
his spirit, tender and courageous, has winged its flight to 
mansions in the sky to claim its sweet reward in that 
"Temple not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," 
where it was bidden with the glad greetings of "Well 
done, thou good and faithful servant " — enter thou in the 
joys of My heavenly kingdom. 

" Sam," as he was affectionately called by his friends, 
has left testimony of a noble character among men; and 



[11] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 



he has left a record, pure and spotless, worthy of our emu- 
lation. The memory of him is so sweet and full of ten- 
der thoughts, and there is so much to commend his life 
to us, in the blameless way in which he lived and moved 
among us, that this should be an hour of rejoicing, rather 
than one of sorrow and grief. Try as we may, sorrow 
and grief can hardly be taken from death; there is that 
something about it that strikes awe to the human heart, 
and but for the hope of eternity and the salvation of the 
soul I can not see how anyone could meet the awful 
ordeal. The promises of salvation and of eternal life, 
the hope of resurrection, with which God's word is so 
abounding, take the sting away from death and rob the 
grave of its victory; and to those who keep His command- 
ments and walk in the path of uprightness, as did our 
friend Tribble, death and the grave are but gateways to 
a more delightful realm and death has no terrors. 

It was while I was a student at the University of 
Georgia in 1897 that I first had the pleasure of meeting 
Mr. Tribble. I only knew him casually, and did not have 
an intimate friendship with him until after he came to 
Congress. He had not been long a Member of the House 
before he impressed himself upon his colleagues, both 
Democrats and Republicans, as an able and fearless legis- 
lator, guided by but one light, and that light was his 
conscience. He soon won the friendship and esteem of 
all his fellows, and all respected him for his determina- 
tion at all times to stand for what he thought was right. 

Since I became a Member of Congress, 10 years ago, 
I have seen many occasions of this kind, and many good 
men with whom we have served here have been called 
" from labor to rest " and have answered death's unavoid- 
able slunmons, and their fellows have felt a keen loss and 
deep grief; but I have not known of a death of any Con- 
gressman that caused deeper grief and over which there 

[12] 



Address of Mr. Edwards, of Georgia 



was more genuine regret than was expressed by his col- 
leagues in the House and the Senate when the sad news 
of Mr. Tribble's death reached them. He made warm 
friends and his friends loved him, because he loved his 
friends and was true to them. He was fearless and tire- 
less in tlie performance of his duties, j'et he was one of 
the most tender-hearted men I have ever known and one 
of the most obliging. 

I can hardly think of the late Congressman Anderson 
Roddenbeiy, of Georgia, who served here so ably, with- 
out thinking also of the late Congressman Tribble. They 
were strong friends and worked together like brothers, 
and they were almost as devoted as brothers. I recall, 
soon after Mr. Roddenberry died, Mr. Tribble said to me 
one day : " Roddenberry hastened his death by hard 
work," and it was true; but it was true also in his own 
case. He was a slave to duty and took but little thought 
of his physical weakness. We are all frail and realize 
often when it is too late that we have taken too little 
thought of the frailty of the body. His only thought was 
to serve, and to do something worth while for his people 
and his country. 

Mr. Tribble was a lawyer; and a good one, too; he was 
solicitor of the city court in his home city of Athens, Ga., 
and later was elected solicitor general of the western cir- 
cuit of Georgia. It is known that he filled these positions 
of honor and responsibility with that splendid ability 
which later marked liim in Congress as a faithful public 
servant. He was elected to the Sixty-second Congress, 
and reelected to the Sixty-third, Sixty-fourth, and Sixty- 
fifth Congresses. In looking over his biographical sketch 
in the Congressional Directory, I was impressed with the 
statement made therein: 

Elected to the Sixty-second Congress, and reelected to the 
Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses without opposition. 



[13] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 



He meant, and we all understand it, that he had no op- 
position in the general elections. He had opposition in the 
primary elections, and alwaj's won with splendid majori- 
ties, attesting his great popularity with his constituents; 
but he was too considerate and loo modest, afraid he 
would wound some one, if he made reference to his battles 
in the primary elections, so he merely refers to the general 
elections and makes no reference whatever to the primary 
elections, in which he proved himself one of the best cam- 
paigners ever known to Georgians. This is so like the 
man — a brave fighter when fighting had to be done, but 
modest, considerate, and forgiving as a victor — never 
boastful, rather meek, until he was stirred to action, and 
then he was as brave as a lion and fought with the fury 
of a storm, but was always fair and honorable, regardless 
of who liis antagonist was or what the cause of battle. 

Mr. Tribble was a self-made man, and did his task well 
in the making, for I have never heard anyone say other 
of him than that " he was a good man." The fact that the 
people, early in his young manhood, elevated him to im- 
portant positions and promoted him to higher honors, in- 
dicated that he merited and held their confidence and 
esteem. As a Member of Congress, he was able, diligent, 
and faithful. He was a true American and as patriotic a 
man as I have ever known. He was tireless in his services 
for his country and carried, at all times, the welfare of his 
country on liis heart and his mind, and never missed an 
opportunity to advance, as he saw it, the best interest of 
the whole country. He was an apostle of genuine Ameri- 
canism. 

I fear many public men are not appreciative of the 
suffrage of their fellow men. Sam Tribble was. He loved 
the people of the eighth district of Georgia and they loved 
him, too, as was evidenced by the thousands who came 
from cities, villages, and farms, far and near, to pay a 

[14] 



Address of Mr. Edwards, of Georgia 



last tribute of respect to their dead Congressman and 
friend when the remains were carried home for burial. 
It was particularly noticeable and sad to me to see in the 
large crowd gathered to attend the funeral men from 
every walk of life, a great number of farmers, to whom 
he was always so faithful, who had come great distances 
to say a last farewell and to get a last sight of his 
honest face, who, with tear-dimmed eyes and bowed 
heads, had the appearance of soldiers who had lost their 
chieftain after many battles. 1 knew the love deep down 
in those noble hearts — 1 had been through political battles 
just about like those Mr. Tribble had gone through with, 
and I knew that human hearts, in order to love a man as 
his constituents loved him, were necessarily reflecting a 
deep and true affection which he had for them. 

In political campaigns the strongest ties are formed be- 
tween men, and that Congressman who does not love a 
constituency which has time and time again stood by and 
honored him with their votes and support is void of all 
the real tender human sensibilities and is unworthy of a 
place in the great National Congress. I did not know how 
deeply and truly I loved my friends and constituents, who 
have kept me here for 10 years, until 1 announced that I 
would not again be a candidate for the House; and my 
friends from all over the first Georgia district began to 
write me and express regret It brought to my mind and 
my heart a more tender thought and affection for my con- 
stituency than I had ever had, for the trials in which they 
had proven true friendships came over me in a flood of 
memories, and I hope the fragrance of those sweet 
memories will abide with me until the end. When I saw 
men of all callings at Mr. Tribble's funeral, weeping, in 
many cases, like little children, I knew why he had been 
invincible as a campaigner in the eighth, for it brought 
home to me the memory of friends who have stood so 



[15] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

loyally by me in my battles, and I said in my own heart, 
here is the secret of his political successes — his liold on 
the people. 

When the train upon which the remains were car- 
ried, and on which was the funeral party, neared the 
boundary line of the eighth Georgia district on its sad mis- 
sion, friends would board it to express sympathy and re- 
gret; and as we reached tlie eighth district large crowds, 
with sad faces, would stand about the depots and in their 
appearance could be read the unmistakable evidence of 
deep grief and great sorrow. His people, as I have said, 
were devoted to him and properly so, for he was a true 
friend, a good man, and a splendid Congressman, and they 
hated to give him up. The grief of his constituents was 
so pronounced that along with the great sympathy 1 felt 
for his bereaved family and his close personal friends I 
found myself keenly sympathizing with the whole people 
of the district who seemed to realize what the loss meant 
to them. The people who congregated at the depots knew 
he was on that train, and they seemed to long for a sight 
of him, for a warm clasp of his hand, and for the sound 
of his earnest voice, his usual friendly greetings, as on 
his former returns from Washington to the " red old hills 
of Georgia," but alas! his manly form was lifeless, his 
strong hand was cold, his voice which he had so often 
raised in defense of his people was forever silent; and 
thousands of friends were broken-hearted and sad as it 
dawned upon them that he was returning for the last 
time to be buried in the dear " red old hills of Georgia," 
which had always been close to lus heart and over which 
he had romped and played as a boy, where he had lived 
as a man, and where he wished to be buried. 

In his death Georgia lost a noble and beloved son of 
whom the State was justly proud, and the Nation lost a 
true citizen and one of its ablest statesmen. His wife lost 



[16] 



Address of Mr. Edwards, of Georgia 

a devoted and splendid husband and his cliildren a tender 
and affectionate father. His wife, one of the most charm- 
ing and able ladies in Georgia, had been a great help to 
Mr. Tribble in his career, and no tribute to his achieve- 
ments can be paid this great man without carrying coupled 
with it also a deserved tribute to her. 

From the activities at the National Capitol, where he 
did his last and best work for his district, his State, and his 
country, liis remains were taken back to Athens, the beau- 
tiful and classic city, where he had made his home for 
many years, and there, in the heart of his district, laid to 
rest. 

If no marble shaft is ever erected to this distinguished 
Georgian to proclaim for all time his splendid qualities 
of heart and mind, there is builded to him a monument, 
larger, taller, and far more sublime than any piece of 
marble that will perpetuate and keep his memoiy ever 
fresh and green, a lasting monument of genuine love and 
admiration in the hearts and aifections of noble and ap- 
preciative friends. 



92439°— 17 2 [17] 



Address of Mr. Bell, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker: It is with sorrowful hearts that we are 
on this occasion reminded of the passing away of one 
of our colleagues to whom we were all so closely attached, 
and one who had, during his active service here as a 
Member of the Sixty-second, Sixty-third, and Sixty-fourth 
Congresses, made many loyal and admiring friends. He 
was elected to the Sixty-fifth Congress by the people of 
his district by an overwhelming majority. 

I was personally acquainted with Mr. Tribble for more 
than 20 years, during wliich time he always convinced 
me of his earnestness and enthusiasm in matters of inter- 
est to those whom he represented. When 1 first knew 
our departed friend he was in the active practice of law, 
and afterwards was elected and served four years as so- 
licitor general of his judicial circuit, which position he 
filled witli credit and distinction. He received his first 
nomination to Congress over one of the ablest men our 
country has known for many years, and for this reason 
the public watched his career with interest. He was a 
hard worker, a very enthusiastic, wide-awake Represent- 
ative, and did much good for the district and the people 
he represented and for the country generally. He was a 
member of the Committee on Naval Affairs, which is one 
of the great committees of Congress. He was always at 
his post of duty, and could be found at his seat at the 
opening of each session of Congress and was one of the 
last to remain upon the floor at the hour of adjournment. 
Truly he performed his duty well, and we and the coun- 
try may truthfully say that the Congress has lost one of 
its most valuable Members. One of the most inspiring 

[18] 



Address of Mr. Bell, of Georgia 



characteristics of this man was his willingness to aid his 
friends and those worthy of recognition. He would go 
his full length for his colleagues and for any meritorious 
matter in which any of them were directly interested. 
He was positive in his declarations and ready at all times 
to defend any position he might take, and always stood 
firm in his convictions. He had a resolute will, a deter- 
mination undaunted by fear, and was never satisfied un- 
less he had accomplished that which in his heart he be- 
lieved just and proper. Courage was the mainspring 
of his make-up, and nothing but positive proof of error 
would turn him from his course. 

He was thoroughly convinced that to serve a constitu- 
ency meant something to him, and no idle moments can 
be charged to him in the performance of his duty. A 
confidential statement made to him was absolutely safe 
and lingered in the deep recesses of his heart. He was 
proud of his wife and children and Iiad the fullest meas- 
ure of their love and esteem. 

His sudden demise was a great shock to us all and 
his passing from among us is an irreparable loss to our 
body. We shall never forget his sojourn with us. We 
will oft remember the brightness of his face and the 
pleasant communications with him. He was indeed kind 
and generous, and the courtesy with which he responded 
to all his colleagues was commendatory, and his desire 
for the success of his coworkers was unselfish. He has 
gone from among us, but we shall not forget him. We 
shall not forget his labors. We shall not forget the many 
hours he unrelentingly worked for his people and his 
country. He is now at rest. 

Brother, thou art gone before us; and thy saintly soul is flown 
Where tears are wiped from every eye and sorrow is unknown. 
From the burden of the flesh and from care and fear released, 
Where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. 



[19] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 



Sin can never taunt thee now, no doubt thy faith assail, 

Nor thy meek trust in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit fail; 

And there thou'rt sure to meet the good, whom on earth thou 

lovedst best, 
Where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. 

And when the Lord shall summon us, whom thou has left behind. 
May we, untainted by the world, as sure a welcome find. 
May each like thee, depart in peace, to be a glorious guest, 
Where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. 



[20] 



Address of Mr. Austin, of Tennessee 

Mr. Speaker: I wish to add my tribute of respect, 
friendship, and admiration for our late colleague, the 
Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, who served the people of the 
eighth congressional district of the State of Georgia with 
zeal, industry-, and ability' for six years as a Member of this 
House. He was a useful, faithful Member, always at his 
post of duty, and ever watchful of the interests of his con- 
stituents. He enjoyed the confidence and good will not 
only of every Member of the Democratic side of tliis 
House but every Republican who enjoyed his acquaint- 
ance or had knowledge of his many worthy qualities. We 
did not always agree with his position on public questions, 
wliich constantly divide the membership of this body, but 
it can be truthfully said that at all times he had the cour- 
age of his convictions. He was open, honest, and con- 
scientious in the discharge of his duties. He was not a 
trimmer, not a dodger, not a demagogue. He was an 
honest, fearless, manly man. He fairly earned and de- 
served the love and admiration of his loyal constituents 
and the friendship and respect of his colleagues here in 
Congress. 

I met Mr. Tribble soon after his election to the Sixty- 
second Congress, and our friendship continued up to the 
time of his untimely death. In the passing of our col- 
league Georgia lost one of its true and devoted sons and 
his district a faithful, efficient, untiring public servant 



[21] 



Address of Mr. Hughes, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker : One of the most delightful conversations I 
ever had with the distinguished gentleman whose death 
we mourn to-day was here in this Chamber the day he 
was stricken. Apparently in the best of health, he was in 
a reflective mood, and those ties which bind true friends 
together, those tender feelings which ennoble friendly 
intercourse, seemed stronger that day between us than 
ever before, though we had always been the best of friends 
since our acquaintance began. 

We talked of our pleasant and happy relations 
during our service in this House, and I am glad that I 
then had the opportunity to tell him how deeply I appre- 
ciated his friendship. It was one of those quiet hours 
when men are drawn close to each other and speak their 
feelings. Late that afternoon I learned of his sudden ill- 
ness and hastened to the hospital, where were gathered 
many of his friends and colleagues, shocked, grieved, 
awaiting the fateful words they were so soon to hear. 
The call which we all must answer had come to him sud- 
denly, almost in the twinkling of an eye, and he was soon 
to answer. Before his sun had reached its zenith and the 
shadows were falling to the east his day was ended. 
Always ready to meet the great emergencies of life, he 
was ready to answer the last call, for he had led a Chris- 
tian life and heeded the mandate: " Be ye ready; the sum- 
mons cometh quicldy." 

In the full glory of a brilliant young manhood, when 
success was crowning his efforts and the fine promise of 
goals yet untouched held their lure and hope, as he looked 



[22] 



Address of Mr. Hughes, of Georgia 

up the mountain whose jjaths he was climbing so surely 
and fast, his untimely death at least carried the blessing 
that goes to those whose ship goes down " when eager 
winds are kissing every sail." 

Always enjoying the confidence and trust of those with 
whom he came in contact, he was early chosen a leader of 
his fellows. A lawj'er by profession, he was made the 
prosecuting attorney for his county and for his judicial 
circuit before he came to Congress. His work in the dis- 
charge of his duties was always characterized by a fine 
sense of fairness, intelligent effort, and the utmost zeal. 

I never knew a public man who labored more indus- 
triously for those whose commission he held than did 
Samuel J. Tribble. No wish of constituents was too 
small to receive liis considerate personal attention, no 
task too great for him to undertake for them. He died 
in the service of his people, giving the very best that was 
in him to their cause. An incessant worker, he overtaxed 
his strength in the performance of his duties. He fell in 
battle. He was inspired in his fight for his people by the 
same intrepid feeling that moved Washington at the head 
of the noble Army of the Revolution from White Plains 
to Yorktown. Tingling in his blood when the Great Com- 
mander called liim from the service of Ms people was the 
same patriotism which coursed through the veins of Jack- 
son as he fell at Chancellorsville. 

His service to his country was great. His life is worthy 
of emulation. He made an impress on the time in which 
he lived. But it is as Sam Tribble, my friend, that I shall 
always think of him and mourn his loss. The Nation has 
lost a patriot, but I have lost a friend. 

In his home he was happy, for Ms good wife always 
shared the fortunes of Ms life with a generous encourage- 
ment whether the days were dark or bright. She was ever 
willing to share Ms trials along with Ms successes, and 

[23] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

there was a perfect sympathy between them. With his 
family the State and Nation share his loss. 

Mr. Tribble left to his family and his people a heritage 
far more priceless than gold — a life well lived and filled 
with service, and we are reminded that — 

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and 
loving favor rather than silver or gold. 



[24] 



Address of Mr. Platt, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: There is not a great deal that I can say 
that has not already been said in the way of tribute to my 
late friend, the Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, of Georgia, but 
what little I can say I want to say. In the matter of 
friendships among Members of this House there is no 
North, no South, no East, and no West. I suppose that 
Democrats perhaps more naturally form their friendships 
among Democrats than among Republicans, and Republic- 
ans more naturally form their friendsliips among Repub- 
licans than among Democrats, but the strongest friend- 
ships in this House often cross party lines, and there is, 
of course, no partisanship in friendships. 

My friendship for Mr. Tribble came from the fact that 
he had been my neighbor in the House Office Building and 
I have seen a great deal of him in a casual way as we 
passed each other in the corridors and went up and down 
on the same elevator and occasionally visited each other 
and did for each other the usual small favors, as Members 
of Congress, in the way of exchange of documents and in- 
formation, and other little helps back and forth from one 
to the other. So I came to know him soon tifter my first 
service began in the Sixty-third Congress and it is a sin- 
gular fact that when I came down here in December for 
the opening of this session Mr. Tribble was the first Mem- 
ber of Congress whom I met. I took a car from some- 
where up near the Treasury Building and came down to 
the farther entrance of the House Office Building, and as I 
started to get out I saw Mr. Tribble in front of me. We 
got otf the car together, walked up the corridors and took 
the elevator together for our respective offices, and talked 

[25] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

over the coming events of the session. He looked well and 
told me that he was very well — yet only a day later he was 
stricken with his fatal illness. I was very much shocked. 
I felt I had lost a personal friend, and I can hardly say 
how much it affected me as I at once recalled the fact 
that he had been the first Member of Congress whom I had 
seen after my arrival here for the session and the fact that 
he had been my neighbor over in the House Office Build- 
ing for so long a time. Of course, I had not enjoyed the 
pleasure of the long friendship with Mr. Tribble that his 
colleagues from the State of Georgia have enjoyed, but the 
friendship I have had with him is a very precious memory 
to me. This House has lost a most worthy Member and 
our country an able, valued Representative. 



[26] 



Address of Mr. Howard, of Georgu 

Mr. Speaker: One of the strange things about life is 
that we never fully appreciate our friends and our loved 
ones until they are called to the other world. 

We see this man and that man occupying places of 
trust and honor, and those who have not attained such 
places of distinction never stop to consider the struggle, 
the deprivation, and the toil that made his goal possible. 

Of all the men it has been my pleasure to know who 
now hold and have heretofore held a public office, none 
deserved the confidence and affection of his constituents 
more than did our dear, departed friend, Samuel J. Trib- 
BLE. A more faithful, solicitous, or conscientious man 
never filled a public oilice. His paramount thought was 
of the betterment and happiness of his people. To lighten 
their burden, to be helpful to those who had the least 
of this world's blessing, controlled his voice and vote. 

He was the most indefatigable worker I have ever 
known. No task was too burdensome for his undertak- 
ing if it was for his people. He literally worked himself 
to death in serving those people he loved and who so 
sincerely loved him. 

He loved the South. He was proud of his State. When- 
ever his section or his State was directly or indirectly in 
the balance, his voice was always heard in forceful and 
eloquent defense of his people. 

He was a true friend — brave, courageous, honest, and 
humble. He said to me one day: " The longer I serve my 
people the more humble I am. To have the confidence 
of nearly 300,000 Georgians should make any man 
humble." 

[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

He was a most affectionate and thoughtful husband 
and father. I never knew a more miserable man when 
separated from his family. His last rational thought was 
of them. 

He was held in the highest esteem by the membership 
of the House. No matter what difference of opinion may 
have existed about his position on public questions, all 
men knew he possessed an honest heart and intellect. 

Mr. Speaker, as his friend I was a constant watcher at 
his bedside. I, vnlh thousands of friends, hoped against 
hope. God in His infinite wisdom had laid the hand of 
death upon his brow. As I looked into his honest face 
for the last time, I could not but think of how well it 
was with his soul. "What childlike faith he had in God! 
How he had striven to serve Him ! How clean and noble 
his life was! How charitable he was! How ready his 
hand to help the poor! What an example his life had 
been to his manly and devoted son just stepping into man- 
hood! 

As I clasped his palsied hand for the last time I thanked 
God that I had known him and loved him, and as I 
stepped into the chill of a winter's night I felt that I 
should return to his side and whisper one word to cheer 
him on his flight to God. I would have said: 

O just and faithful knight of God: 
Ride on, the prize is near. 



[28] 



Address of Mr. Farr, of Pennsylvania 

Mr. Speaker: It was a tremendous shock to me to hear 
of the death of Samuel J. Tribble. My heart went out to 
his devoted, helpful wife and children in their sad afflic- 
tion. I realized, too, the Congress had suffered a great 
loss. 

It was my good fortune and pleasure at the beginning 
of his congressional career to have become acquainted 
with Mr. Tribble. We both came to this great body in the 
Sixty-second Congress. We occupied near-by offices and 
came in almost daily contact. Later we were associates 
on the Committee on Naval Affairs during the period of 
deepest interest in the great arm of the sea, when policies 
of tremendous importance were being inaugurated. 
Many differences prevailed and feeling and tension at 
times were sharp and intense. With this association with 
Samuel J. Tribble I had opportunities to know much 
about liim. Happily, we here learn to know each other as 
men — not as partisans — and set our value on the qualities 
of mind and heart each other possesses. That which first 
impressed me was his close, happy family relations, an 
index so expressive of that which is best in life and man. 
Always did his great sincerity impress me, and his high 
sense of right and nobility of character stamped them- 
selves at every turn. 

He was devoted to his official duties, industrious, 
studious; indeed, so strenuous in his earnestness and 
activity that he seemed loath to lose a minute in his love 
of service. The outpouring of people at the funeral serv- 
ices at his home fully attested the great love of his neigh- 

[29] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 



bors. It was so sincere, so marked, so general, that in 
itself proved that a kind, strong, highminded, thorouglily 
serviceable man had passed to his reward, and their grief 
and expressions showed how fully they appreciated the 
great loss they suffered. Samuel J. Tribble earned this 
tribute by his deeds of love and service to mankind. After 
all, he profits most who serves best. 

There is a lesson in the sudden death of our dear de- 
parted colleague. The last day comes to all of us. We 
know not what moment the summons may come. Let 
duty be our constant watchword and faithful service our 
guide, ever remembering, no matter what the station in 
life, that " the charities that soothe, and heal, and bless, 
lie scattered at the feet of men like flowers." 



[30] 



Address of Mr. Davis, of Texas 

Mr. Speaker : I came to add my presence in commemo- 
rating this occasion. 

The death of the Hon. Samuel J. Tribble gives remark- 
able accent to that sacred proverb which says, " In the 
midst of life we are in death." In the heydey of a useful, 
intellectual, and vigorous life, the shadows of death were 
thrown athwart his path, and he lay down to rest in 
eternity and sweet communion with those who serve and 
obey God. 

His life and example ought to be assimilated into the 
life of the young American everywhere. He stands in 
just fulfillment of that proposition that Christ gave to the 
twelve when He had just returned from the Mount of 
Transfiguration and found in the valley the twelve con- 
tending among themselves as to who should be the great- 
est in Heaven. He turned to them stating that " He who 
would be greatest of all must be servant of all." Mr. 
Tribble's life fulfilled that proposition. His life was a 
life of service to his country, to humanity, and to God. 
And we ought to profit by his life and example, for we 
find: 

There -will be a place we know not where. 

And time we know not when, 

When God Divine in justice there. 

Will judge the deeds of men. 

And to be prepared for that judgment and get a decree 
of " well done, thou good and faithful servant," ought 
to be the full hope and fruition of all human existence. 

Mr. Tribble in the very midst of life met death. He met 
death in the service of his countrj% and that service began 

[31] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

in the vigor of his young manhood in the call of his State 
and his country, and in the midst of that service he was 
called to the Great Beyond. 

I simply rose to add my presence and these few remarks 
in honor of a distinguished son of Georgia, and a splendid, 
tj'pical American citizen. 



[32] 



Address of Mr. Lee, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker: As a boy in north Georgia I looked with 
admiration upon the foothills that bordered my father's 
farm. When I first traveled the then seeming great dis- 
tance of some 20 miles to the famous Lookout Mountain, 
from whose summit visitors looked over seven States, 
three battle fields, and numberless mountain peaks, I 
thought that here in the " heaven-kissed hills " is repre- 
sented God's best illustration of the eternal, the everlast- 
ing. When some years later my mind became absorbed 
in the history of nations and the growth of governments 
I felt that in the development of men, made in the image 
of their Maker, the purpose of the Almighty was shown — 
the continuing problem of the universe was outlined. 

I now believe that the most everlasting tiling in the con- 
templation of the human mind — the most fixed thing in 
men and in governments — is character. The soul, the 
spirit, the immortal part of him whom we memorialize to- 
day found its keynote, its essence, and its strength in his 
pure and splendid character. 

No truer man ever breathed the breath of life than 
Samuel Joel Tribble. He died in the very flush of man- 
hood — 47 years of age when the summons came. He was 
a native of Franklin County, one of the so-called country 
counties of Georgia, on the northern tier, near the South 
Carolina border, where the mountain air is bracing, where 
thought is pure, where contamination by evil influences is 
unknown. As a boy he was an easy favorite in the county 
schools; as a student in the State University at Athens he 
soon ranked with the highest; choosing the law as a spe- 

92439° — 17 3 [33] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

cial course he was speedily recognized as one of the lead- 
ers in the legal department. 

His university and law courses completed, he " hung out 
his shingle " in this classical educational center of the 
South and began the practice of law. His adaptability to 
public service soon became evident, and he was elected 
solicitor of the city court, serving five years in that office, 
and was then called to a further four years' service as 
solicitor general of the western circuit. The constituency 
of the eighth congressional district of Georgia were not 
slow to recognize the value of representation in Congress 
by such a man and elected him to serve in the Sixty-second 
Congress. So fully did he meet all their expectations that 
they elected him to the Sixty-third and again to tlie Sixty- 
fourth Congresses. 

From the very moment of his admission to the member- 
ship of this House, Mr. Tribble applied himself with sin- 
gleness of purpose and unflagging assiduity to the work 
of legislation. Never losing sight of the interests of the 
people of his district, he never failed to keep before his 
mind's eye the larger interest of the countiy. The most 
important committee assignment given him when he took 
his seat here was to the Committee on Naval Affairs, and 
he continued there until the end. The chairman of that 
committee and his associates testify to the faithfulness, 
the industry, the high intelligence, and the intense patriot- 
ism with which Mr. Tribble applied himself to the difficult 
work before that committee at every session, and which 
was particularly onerous when the momentous events of 
contemporaneous history enlarged its activities. He was 
unfailing in his attendance upon all sessions; any amount 
of labor assigned to him was borne cheerfully. Whatever 
the subject which he was called upon to investigate was 
exhausted by the minutest research. 



[34] 



Address of Mr. Lee, of Georgia 



With almost unerring instinct he knew how to separate 
the wheat from the chaff. With the acumen of the trained 
lawyer he distinguished between the true and the false; 
nothing that bore the faintest resemblance to wrong could 
escape his notice, and with like discernment he saw the 
good points of a proposition. In the great work accom- 
plished by the Committee on Naval Affairs during the 
past few sessions of Congress Mr. Tribble bore a share 
which will entitle him to honorable remembrance 
throughout the coming years. 

The chief of the Confederate forces during the Civil 
War, Gen. Robert E. Lee, was fond of saying that " duty 
is the sublimest word in the English language." This 
thought found an echo in the heart of Mr. Tribble and 
guided his course at all times and in all circumstances. 
His devotion to duty, his courage, his strong adherence 
to his convictions were salient characteristics, distinguish- 
ing him both in his public and private life. 

With Mr. Tribble, conviction, the sense of duty, never 
yielded to expediency. Because a thing was popular, 
this did not commend it to his consideration or influ- 
ence his action whenever his conviction ran counter. This 
policy of his was most strikingly illustrated in his course 
on private pensions. He was a consistent and persistent 
opponent of private pension legislation. He was firm in 
his belief that the general pension laws were liberal 
enough, both in their original frame and in the interpre- 
tation given them by the officials charged with their exe- 
cution, to obviate the necessity of supplementing them 
with private pensions for persons who happened to be 
fortunate enough to have friends and advocates in Con- 
gress. 

No doubt Mr. Tribble at times aroused resentment 
among his colleagues by his opposition in this regard, 
but he never allowed this to deter him from the course 



[35] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

which he had marked out for himself and of the cor- 
rectness of which his conception of duty did not leave 
him in doubt. I am quite sure that the kindly feelings 
which he cultivated in his intercourse with his fellow 
Members must frequently have suffered a severe pang 
when thej^ came in conflict with the stern dictates of con- 
ceived duty, but I am equally sure that his colleagues 
finally bore him no ill will because of his opposition, 
for they could not fail to recognize and appreciate the 
high sense of moral obligation which determined his 
action. 

In a Republic like ours the conscientious man is the 
greatest asset of the State. The citizenry of a democracy 
must be animated by high ideals to be fruitful of the 
best service. Such a citizfen was Mr. Tribble. He had 
set his ideals high before him, and they were his guiding 
stars through life. Mr. Tribble carried his idealism into 
everj' action of his life. It was not enough for him to 
do the thing which it was obviously his duty to do, but 
he constantly strove for something better and higher. If 
he ever has chosen a motto for himself it must have been 
" Excelsior." His thoughts were always lifted above the 
common; they were aimed at tlie best in life; they reached 
up to those higher realms where truth reigns supreme. 

Those who live are those who struggle. 

Measured by this, Mr. Tribble may well be said to have 
lived a splendid life, for he never ceased to struggle for 
that which is good, that which is noble, that which ele- 
vates character. In his nature Mr. Tribble partook of 
much of the mountains in whose vicinity he was born 
and had been reared. Firmness, rugged honestj% un- 
yielding determination in the face of adverse influences, 
perseverance under difficulties, self-reliance were distin- 
guishing traits in his moral make-up. Yet withal his was 
a kindly spirit. He was lovable to a degree, but not a 

[36] 



Address of Mr. Lee, of Georgia 



spendthrift in his friendships. When he once had made 
a friend, however, he did " grapple him to his soul with 
hooks of steel," and was then as self-sacrificing as such 
a nature could prompt a man to be. No man was ever 
loved and respected more fully by his neighbors than 
was he. They knew that they could always rely upon 
him for friendly aid whenever aid was needed. They 
knew that if they came to him for advice it would come 
from the heart and would be given after patient consid- 
eration. He was a man whom children loved, and that 
is the best test of the kindliness of a man's nature. 

Mr. Tribble was a model husband and father. In his 
home life he was governed by the same lofty ideals which 
animated his public career. To his wife he was the ever 
loving, considerate companion; to his children the ever 
faithful counselor and close friend. They received from 
him the best that his mind and heart could offer them. 
Praise was ever given in lavish measure and reproach 
was softened by gentle words. 

Disraeli in his speech on the death of the Duke of 
Wellington, in the House of Commons, said: 

The Duke of Wellington has left to this country a great legacy, 
greater even than his fame — he has left to us the contemplation of 
his character. 

No one will gainsay the declaration that the contempla- 
tion of a fine character is something whereby every man 
may profit. And thus we may to-day gather new inspira- 
tion for the work which we are appointed to do by pon- 
dering the character and the life of our departed col- 
league and friend. Surely, we can profit by the contem- 
plation of his high sense of duty; by the consideration 
of his earnestness in his application to his work, of his 
conscientiousness in the discharge of every task that came 
to his hands. From such a study we may well gather 
new inspiration. 

[37] • 



Address of Mr. Crisp, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker : We have assembled to-day to pay tribute 
to one of Nature's noblemen, to one who loved God and 
his fellow man, for such a man was Hon. S. J. Tribble, our 
late colleague in this august Assembly. 

Mr. Tribble, in the very pi'ime of life, vigorous, ener- 
getic, full of hope, and desirous of being of service to the 
people who had honored him, was suddenly called from 
his sphere of usefulness by the Great Architect of the 
Universe. Surely " God moves in a mysterious way. His 
wonders to perform." 

On the opening day of this session of Congress, I sat in 
the House wath Mr. Tribble, and we discussed pending 
legislation, and he was full of ambition and determination 
to render splendid service to his district. State, and Na- 
tion. I never saw liim in better spirits or seemingly in 
better health. On the following morning, my heart was 
inexpressibly grieved and shocked to learn that my friend 
had had a stroke of apoplexy, and was at death's door, in 
a hospital. I hastened to his bedside, but human love and 
friendship and the best of medical skill availed not, and 
on the 8th day of December the soul of our friend re- 
tui'ned to the God who gave_it. 

Mr. Tribble held many positions of trust and honor and 
fully measured up to the requirements of each of them. 
He was a devoted husband, a lo\'ing father, a sincere and 
loyal friend, and the world is brighter and better for his 
having lived in it. He was my friend, true and tried. I 
loved him in life, and shall ever cherish his memory. 

With a number of his colleagues, I accompanied his re- 
mains to the beautiful, classic citj' of Athens, Ga., his for- 

' [38] 



Address of Mr. Crisp, of Georgia 



mer home. On the following day, in the Presbyterian 
Church, his funeral was held. The church was filled with 
beautiful floral offerings, evidencing the love and esteem 
in which he was held, and a great concourse of sorrowing 
friends assembled to do him honor. The large edifice was 
inadequate to accommodate his many friends, and thou- 
sands could not gain admittance to the church. The fu- 
neral services were conducted by Dr. Lynch, of the Bap- 
tist,' and Dr. Hill, of the Presbyterian Church, each deliv- 
ering able and impressive orations which I incorporate in 
this, my simple tribute to my friend. 

We believe in the immortality of the soul; therefore, let 
us hope, in the bright and better world, once again we 
shall know Mr. Tribble and be with him forevermore. 

There is no death, the stars go down 

To rise upon a fairer shore, 
And bright in heaven's jeweled crown, 

They shine forevermore. 

And ever near us tho' unseen 

The near immortal spirits tread. 
For all the boundless universe is life. 

There are no dead. 

Discourse at the funeral service of Congressman S. J. 
Tribble by Rev. James William L3Tich, D. D., pastor of 
the First Baptist Church, Athens, Ga. : 

ETERNITY IN THE HE.^T 

God has surprised us. We are shocked, pained, and grieved. 
For the moment the nightmare of oppressive mystery paralyzes 
us. We are as those who have frightful dreams in the night and 
wish for the light of the coming day. 

THE TIMELINESS OF GOD 

In the dark and fell hour, so seemingly rude and ruthless, I 
come to lay upon your gashed hearts the comfort and hope of a 
beautiful scripture, " He hath made everything beautiful in its 
time; also He hath set eternity in their heart." In the eyes of 



[39] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

God everSfthing is beautiful in its time and place, for He sees it in 
the light of His all-revealing eternity. Though our hearts are 
stunned and paralyzed, God has put in them the ballast of a 
deathless hope. 

THE DEATHLESS HOPE 

By the deathless hope I mean to designate the hope of immor- 
tality. The thirst for a future, personal, and conscious existence 
is the supreme passion of the soul. The moaning hunger of 
life is life — continued, personal, family-related, and consciously 
happy. • 

AGE AND EXPRESSION OF THE HOPE 

This hope is old as the soul and a part of it. The -writer of 
Ecclesiastes — a book Voltaire read and Ingersoll praised — declares 
that God has set eternity in the heart. This eternal hope the He- 
brews embalmed in their holy writings, the Egyptians builded in 
their pyramids, prehistoric man symbolized on his rude imple- 
ments of toil and weapons of war, and in all ages sculpture has 
given to its expression the finest stroke, painting the softest touch, 
poetry the gladdest note, and devotion the most sacred utterance. 

THE RETICENCE OF MOSES 

The reticence of Moses on the question may be explained — the 
matter had been overdone in Egypt. In that land of pyramids, 
tombs, and mummies, immortality was only another word for 
superstitious idolatry. The nations' literature was called the 
" Book of the Dead." The enslaved Israelites needed to be organ- 
ized and taught, not the masonry of sepulture and art of embalm- 
ing, but the laws of hygiene and jurisprudence, not how to die 
and be buried, but how to be healthy and strong and long-lived. 
The great prophet succeeded — the Jews are the healthiest people 
and most persistent race in the world. 

NO LIE IN NATURE 

Though we may not affirm that the universality of the deathless 
hope proves the reality of an endless life, yet we do conclude that 
it constitutes a strong presumption in its favor. In the realm of 
nature there is no unsatisfied want — no emptiness without a cor- 
responding fullness. The eye wants vision, and there is light; 
the ear wants sound, and there is music; the nose wants smell, 
and there is fragrance; the mouth wants taste, and there is food; 

[40] 



J 



Address of Mr. Crisp, of Georgia 



the nerves want thrill, and there is touch; the mind wants thought, 
and there is truth, revealed and axiomatic; the heart wants love, 
and there is friendship; the soul wants life, and there is God. 
" My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God." If there be no 
future existence, this eternity in the heart is the only lie in nature. 

THOUGHTS BEFORE THINGS 

Our faith in the doctrine will largely depend upon whether we 
assume the primacy and preeminence of mind or matter. For my 
part I find it easier to believe in the eternity of mind than to 
believe in the eternity of matter. Thoughts are greater than 
things. I believe they are older. All things were first thoughts. 
The modern loom is Arkwright's thought dressed up in iron; the 
locomotive is Stephenson's thought harnessed to steel; the ocean 
liner is Fulton's thought under steam; the stars are God's thoughts 
on fire; the Lord Christ was the Word made flesh. Our bodies 
decay and fall, but we pass away thinking. 

THE GREAT ASSUMPTION 

Much of our practical knowledge is based upon assumptions. 
We can not prove anything in its genesis. Mathematics rests upon 
the assumption that one is one and twice one is two. We can not 
prove it. The great truths are axiomatic. God has put them in 
the mind as He has put eternity in the heart. They admit of no 
demonstration. Our use of them is an act of faith. God is the 
great Assumption. 

THE LAW OF correspondence 

To everything in the universe there has been given a sphere of 
existence corresponding to its nature. The planet Jupiter has an 
orbit of a thousand million miles. Some trees live a thousand 
years and more. The white elephant of India does service for a 
century. Now, man is greater than trees and elephants and 
planets. It is unreasonable to believe that they have larger 
spheres and longer lives. We are all greater than our dreams. 
" They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars 
forever." 

AN ETERNAL NECESSITY 

Moreover, the hope is an eternal necessity. Without it society 
would not hold together or civilization advance. The great 
apostle truly says, " If we have only hoped in Christ in this 

[41] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 



life, we are of all men most pitiable." Once let materialistic 
philosophy filter down into the common mind and selfishness 
would become dominant and regnant. Wheels would reverse 
and take us back to mere animalism. Epicures do not make mis- 
sionaries or martyrs or soldiers. , The world must have men who 
endure as seeing Him who is invisible. " We are saved by hope." 
God has put this telescope in our hearts and we look not upon 
things seen but unseen, for these are eternal. With John Fiske 
1 believe in the " sweet reasonableness of God." This infinitude 
of space and these multitudinous worlds mean something. Noth- 
ing is wasted in God's hands. With Him there is a thing for every 
place and a place for everything. " In My Father's house are 
many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you." 

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNIVERSE 

"■ The inequalities of condition and miscarriages of justice in the 
social world at least hint a final settlement and adjudication of 
human affairs. Not many lawyers are infidels. They believe in 
laws and laws are made; they do not make themselves. Old 
Abraham asked, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 
It is the first moral question raised in the Bible and the question 
can only finally and satisfactorily be answered in the Supreme 
Court of the Universe. Nothing is settled until it is settled right, 
but many decisions here will have to be appealed to the Great 
Assize. I have found the deathless hope weakest in physicists 
and surgeons, men who work in matter; and I have found it 
strongest in teachers, jurists, and statesmen, men who work in 
mind. 

THE world's greatest re.\soner 

The world's greatest intellect, for pure and unaided reason, 
reached the conviction of a life beyond. I refer to Plato of the 
Greeks. The words of his classic interpreter, Addison, have 
almost the immortality of their theme: 

" It must be so — Plato, thou reasones1"well ! — 
Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, 
This longing after immortality? 
Or whence this secret dread, and inward horror. 
Of falling into naught? Why shrinks the soul 
Back on herself, and startles at destruction? 
'Tis the divinity that stirs within us; 



[42] 



Address of Mr. Crisp, of Georgia 



'Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter, 

And intimates eternity to man. 

Eternity ! thou pleasing, dreadful thought. 

The stars shall fade away, the Sun himself 

Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years. 

But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth. 

Unhurt amidst the war of elements, 

The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds." 

THE BEST AND FINAL WORD 

But after all has been said that can be said from the standpoint 
of science, philosophy, poetry, and reason, it remains, as revela- 
tion declares, that Christ brought life and immortality into light. 
The universal hope blossomed on His lips. He spoke words of 
familiarity, candor, and assurance. He called spirits back from 
the silence, and talked with heavenly visitants. He turned loose 
resurgent forces that still work upward. Out of His empty tomb 
came the great White Day, our Sabbath, witnessing every week 
and forever to His resurrection. 

THE KEYS OF DEATH AND H.ADES 

John of Patmos saw Him in glory and heard Him say, " I am He 
that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore. 
Amen; and have the keys of hades and death." The " keys " are 
doubtless the symbols of experience and authority. Our Lord has 
tasted death for every man, and He has power to unlock all doors. 
He has the key to everj- experience in our life, every pain in our 
flesh, every wound in our heart, every perplexity in our mind — 
every condition, situation, state, and place through which the 
soul must pass. He will meet us in death with the keys; at the 
grave with the keys; at the gates of heaven with the keys. The 
compressed eternity in our hearts will expand into the eternity 
of ageless time, boundless space, endless life, infinite beauty, and 
all-perfect knowledge. We shall be with Him and like Him, and 
we shall know Him and ours and all, even as we arc known. The 
deathless seed in the heart will flower forever in a deathless 
world. 

" God does not send us strange flowers every year; 
When the spring winds blow o'er pleasant places. 
The same dear things lift up the same fair faces, 
The violet is here. 



[43] 



Memoriai. Addresses: Representative Tribble 

It all comes back — the odor, grace, and hue, 

Each sweet relation of its life repeated; 

It is the thing we knew. 

So after the death winter it will be; 

God will not put strange sights in heavenly places; 

The old love will look out from the old faces; 

Veilchen, I shall have thee! " 

Remarks at the funeral of Congressman S. J. Tribble 
by his friend, Dr. E. L. Hill: 

" FRIENDSHIP " 

The gifted and brilliant Goldsmith put in the mouth of one of 
his characters, who occupied the sacred office and lived the holy 
life, the disparaging words, 

" And what is friendship but a name, 

A charm to lull to sleep; 
A shade to follow wealth and fame. 

And leave the wretch to weep." 
If this is a true conception of friendship, then better by far 
eliminate the thought from the human mind, and eradicate the 
sentiment from the human heart, and erase the word from the 
human language; but this is not a true interpretation of friend- 
ship. Friendship is the richest gift of one soul to another, and 
more precious than gold and silver. When Cyrus gave Arlabazus, 
one of his courtiers, a gold cup, he gave Crysanthus, his favorite 
friend, a kiss. And Artabazus said to Cj'rus, his great general, 
" The gold in my cup is not so precious as the sweetness in the 
kiss of friendship, which you have given Crysanthus." This was 
the ancient way of expressing the priceless value of friendship. 

The life which has not been blessed with friendship's fragrant 
love is not worth living; and impoverished indeed is that life 
which has not been graced with true friends. We Americans can 
almost feel our hearts move with forgiveness and certainly with 
pity when we see that military genius, Benedict Arnold, who 
trifled with his honor and betrayed his country, lying upon his 
deathbed in a garret in the metropolis of the world; and hear 
his physician ask him if there is anything he would have, and 
hear him reply, " Yes, only a friend." The essential worth of 



[44] 



Address of Mr. Crisp, of Georgia 



friendship was duly appreciated by the great Master Teacher who 
had nothing more valuable to give his disciples and nothing they 
coveted more, and hence he said to them, " Henceforth I call you 
not servants. I have called you friends." 

Hon. S. J. Tribble gave expression in life to no other virtue 
more strikingly than that of loyalty to his friends. Standing on 
yonder street corner engaged in conversation with him one day, 
he pointed to a man who passed by and said, " That man is my 
friend, and I am waiting for an opportunity to show my appre- 
ciation of his friendship." Those of us who knew him -well 
could appreciate fully the sincerity and .solidity of his friendship. 
This large gathering, representing his entire district, bears full 
and rich witness to the esteem in which he was held by his 
friends. 

I am honored to have been numbered among those who claimed 
him as a friend. Ten years ago I came to this city, a stranger in 
a strange land, and the third home into which I was invited was 
that of Mr. Tribble. I well remember that ideal little cottage 
home on Prince Avenue, with the charms of a warm hospitality 
and the delights of magnetic pers(^alities. From that evening 
my friend constantly expressed his genial interest in me and 
mine. His every effort was put forth to make me comfortable in 
that same little cottage the few months that I occupied it as my 
home. When he was called into a larger sphere of usefulness I 
thought perhaps his mind would be so engulfed in the larger 
interests of life he would drift away from local interests and 
persons, but from time to time he wrote me of his service and 
plans in Congress, and never failed to give me the warm hand 
grasp when I met him on our streets here. 

But this friendship, like yonder mountain stream which springs 
from a pure fountain head and moves along its course for a time 
and then darts from sight underground, until farther down in the 
valley it appears again larger and richer and grander and more 
powerful, has been interrupted for a season by its passage through 
the grave, but soon will appear grander and larger and stronger 
in that world of endless and congenial associations. Until then I 
bid my friend good-by. 

At this point Mr. Lee assiuned the chair as Speaker pi-o 

tempore. 



[45] 



Address of Mr. Padgett, of Tennessee 

Mr. Speaker : It is with a sense of personal bereavement 
that I appear to-day. When Mr. Tribble came to Congress 
it was the good fortune of our committee that he should 
be assigned as a member thereof, and during the years of 
his service I had opportunity of close association with him, 
an association that, as the years continued and our work 
grew in volume and importance, became closer and our 
friendship was cemented into a more hallowed compact. 
I esteemed him very highly and I am justified in saying 
that he had the esteem, confidence, and admiration of 
everj' member of the committee. We esteemed liim for 
his worth, we admired him for his ability, and we loved 
him for his friendship. > 

Mr. Tribble was a man of positive convictions. It was 
not a question in his convictions, as commonly expressed, 
of "milk and cider." He believed something. He be- 
lieved it in a positive way. He believed there were duties 
to be performed in life, and that belief was positive. He 
believed that there was work to be accomplished by a 
Member of Congress, and that was a positive belief with 
him and he asserted it. He was a man who had the cour- 
age of his convictions. -He was not afraid to express them 
and he did express them when he felt that it was his duty 
so to do. 

He was not only positive in his convictions, not only had 
the courage of them, but he was sincere in his beliefs. 
His beliefs and his convictions found lodgment in his 
heart and received the sanction of his judgment and the 
approval of his intelligence. No one can help but admire 
one who is positive in his character, who is courageous in 
his convictions, and who is sincere in his beliefs. 

[46] 



Address of Mr. Padgett, of Tennessee 

Again. Mr. Speaker, a thing that may be spoken to his 
credit and is worthy of emulation is that he was not too 
stubborn to learn. There is a great deal in that. Every 
Member who comes to Congress comes as a new man. 
There is a broad field here that before coming he has never 
explored. There are many subjects here which in their 
full phase and full view he has not attempted to survey. 
There are many questions here that he has not had either 
the time, the opportunity, or the privilege of fathoming. 
Sometimes we find a man so set in his ways, so prejudiced 
in his convictions, that he is too stubborn to learn. It is 
to be said to the credit of anyone, when he comes into a 
larger field of experience and observation, when he comes 
into a line of new duties, of untried labors, that he is not 
too stubborn to learn by experience and by enlarged op- 
portunities and extended privileges. And I do not know 
of anyone in my association, in committee work, in pri- 
vate friendship, and in observation in the House that 
better illustrated that than our friend, Mr. Tribbl£. He 
was frank, open, and sincere, and a man with feeling, 
with noble purpose, not too stubborn to leam, and de- 
veloped year after year as he served in this House, and he 
was enlarging the sphere of his usefulness and improving 
all his opportunities. It is something that can be spoken 
to his credit and is worthy of emulation. 

Again, Mr. Speaker, he was polite and Qourteous. I 
think I might emphasize that especially. Politeness is 
one of the virtues of life that I sometimes think in the stir 
and bustle and the confusion of our present life is some- 
times overlooked. I sometimes think that this generation 
does not give that attention and that consideration to the 
virtue of politeness that characterized our fathers and our 
forbears. It is a virtue, however, that yields the greatest 
dividends of any in life.' It costs nothing, and yet it is the 
polish, it is the finish in character that marks the gentle- 
Li?] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

man, that makes us close to our friends, that makes us 
congenial in company and in society. There may be a 
rough diamond and we esteem it as a diamond; but its 
beauty, its brilliancy, its value, is brought out and exem- 
plified when it is polished. And politeness, courteous de- 
meanor, courteous and polite character, make the finished- 
diamond quality of our lives. 

Mr. Tribble in his personal conduct and association 
illustrated these virtues. It is said: 

Our lives are songs; God writes the words. 
And we set them to music at pleasure; 

The song grows sad, or sweet, or glad, 
As we choose to fashion the measure. 

The song of life for Mr. Tribble was a glad song. He 
realized the true philosophy contained in that little verse, 
that he could fashion the song of his life and make it sad, 
sweet, or glad, and he chose to make it sweet and glad. 
Its harmony was pure, its melody was inspiring; and 
although we have laid him away to rest the sweetness and 
the melody of that song are not hushed. 



[48] 



Address of Mr. Adamson, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker: We are glad to hear from the great chair- 
man of the great committee on which our late friend, Mr. 
Tribble, performed such excellent work, Mr. Padgett of 
Tennessee, the words of praise and esteem and affection 
to which we have just listened. He is the best witness in 
this House as to the facts about which he talks, and his 
commendation is high praise indeed. 

All important events and conspicuous men afford op- 
portunity' for instruction, and we can not make progress 
if we fail to observe and embrace the opportunities. Of 
course, we all hear, though we neglect and do not often 
bear in mind, the great truth that " in the midst of life we 
are in death," and the importance of that injunction, " Be 
ye also ready," and the suddenness with which death 
comes and cuts off the most promising and useful in life. 
But there are other lessons that can be learned from the 
lives of such men as Samuel J. Tribble. His life is an ex- 
emplification of the genius and value of our institutions, 
of the wide-open door which our institutions afford of op- 
portunity' for all to rise, to do well, to achieve usefulness, 
to make themselves illustrious, and to bless mankind. 

Although we had a general knowledge of Mr. Tribble as 
a lawj'er in Georgia and as solicitor general of his circuit, 
there was very little general knowledge in Georgia of the 
real character of the man. But when suddenly and unex- 
pectedly to us all at a distance from his disti'ict he de- 
feated for Congress one we at that time thought the most 
brilliant man in Georgia or in Congress — at least many of 
us thought so — a man who had been most illustrious in 
his State, a man who by his wisdom and achievements 

92439°— 17 i [49] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

in this House stood as the peer of the highest, and who 
would have been chairman of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs if he had been reelected, we were led to wonder 
and inquire who was Mr. Tribble. We were prompted 
to think there must be something in him, and something 
known to his constituents not known to the balance of the 
State; and so with much curiosity we observed his com- 
ing and his performance. 

We found on nearer acquaintance that he had in him 
those elements of heart and mind and character that had 
endeared him to the people who knew him the best; 
that as solicitor general he had enforced justice with some 
discriminating degree of judgment and some element of 
tender mercy; that even as prosecuting officer, who had 
for four years enforced the law, he was yet popular, and 
that the people among whom he had lived, the people 
whom he had served, had elected him to Congress over the 
great and popular man whom he challenged in the battle 
for preference. We found that though he was not born 
to titles or wealth or influence, he had taken his chances 
among the poor boys in America; that he had used the 
few opportunities afforded him; that he had utilized 
every advantage; that he had learned to realize that — 

The heights by great men reached and kept 

Were not attained by sudden flight, 
But tliey, while their companions slept, 

Were toiling upward in the night — 

and that with a resolute determination that would take 
no denial he proceeded step by step to inform his mind, to 
develop his character, until he had commanded that de- 
gree of confidence that elected him as solicitor general, 
in which office he made good and justified the confidence 
which afterwards secured his election to Congress. 

He realized, even when he came to Congress, that he 
was not at the top, that he was only an humble beginner 

[50] 



Address of Mr. Adamson, of Georgia 



in the field of statesmanship, and he accordingly selected 
the men of experience and wisdom here and sought coun- 
sel of them, and sat at the feet of Gamaliel, and adopted 
for himself the strictest and most careful doctrines of 
statesmanship. He realized that — 

Heaven is not gained by a sudden bound; 
But we climb the ladder by which we rise 
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies 

Round by round. 

And he toiled without ceasing day and night, perform- 
ing the routine duties the arduous nature of which, un- 
fortunately, the people do not always understand and 
appreciate. Sometimes they think a seat in Congress is 
a sinecure; that a man has nothing to do but come here 
and roll in luxui-y and have an easy time and a frolic 
all the time. 

If they could take Samuel J. Tribble as an exemplar 
and notice him, a poor man, with great demands for ex- 
penditure always upon him, his time so occupied by 
public duties that he could not give attention to private 
finances, always at work, always working for other peo- 
ple, they would realize that such a man is doing some- 
thing for his fellow men in return for the great honors 
they are conferring upon him. 

I do not want to forget to state another thing that we 
discovered upon nearer acquaintance. I may say we 
also realized the truth of the Scripture, which says that 
"Whoso findeth a good wife findeth a good thing," and 
that in his wife he had secured a veritable helpmeet who 
in all his trials and in all his labors had labored and 
sympathized with him, and who in all his triumphs had 
rejoiced with him, and in most cases had been conspicu- 
ous in securing them. Their union was blessed with two 
delightful and splendid children, who blessed them by 



[51] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

being good and intelligent children; and it seemed that 
all the elements of happiness and usefulness surrounded 
Mr. Tribble when he saddened us all by unexpectedly 
taking his departure for the other world. 

It is a pleasure to me, Mr. Speaker, in the midst of our 
sadness, to testify this much to his usefulness to his 
people and his country and the confidence hi^ fellow 
Members imposed in him, and the pleasure his acquaint- 
ance afforded us all. 



[52] 



Address of Mr. Park, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker : Within the brief period of six years four 
Georgia Senators — Steve Clay, Joe Terrell, A. O. Bacon, 
and William S. West— have passed on their way, and 
three Members of this body — Jim Griggs, Anderson Rod- 
denbery, and Sam Tribble — have answered the roll. The 
natural conclusion may reasonably be drawn that life in 
Washington is not conducive to longevity — seven Mem- 
bers of Congress in six years, or an average of over one 
a year. The last to die was Samuel J. Tribble, of Athens, 
Ga., whose life and services we meet here to commemo- 
rate to-day. 

His life and history are marked by strenuous effort. 
Above all he was a clean-cut, uncompromising, honest, 
and generous fighter who bore upon his political body 
many honorable scars, and I may add that in my opinion 
his strenuous exertion leading to a wonderful victory 
over a strong opponent in the last campaign was the di- 
rect proximate cause of his death. He had grown to be 
a skillful, watchful, and efficient legislator; he got re- 
sults; he was ever ready either for service or for sacri- 
fice; and the people of his district evidenced their great 
appreciation of his services by an overwhelming major- 
ity of some 12,000 in the last primaiy. 

He would hardly have had opposition again in 10 years; 
and having reached this satisfactory state in public life, 
when he could work for his district and State untram- 
meled by the dread of near opposition, when his efficiency 
was at its best, an unaccountable thing happened, as it 
often happens. The end of what appeared the begin- 
ning of a most useful public life came suddenly. 



[53] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

It was hard to die under such circumstances and condi- 
tions, yet when I first saw him after he was stricken I 
realized that he knew that the clock had struck twelve 
for him, and he apparently had no deep regrets at leaving 
but for the parting with family and friends. He met and 
faced the common foe calmly and resignedly. With Dr. 
Davenport White and a trained nurse at Providence Hos- 
pital I was in a condition to know, if anyone could, the 
state of his mind. I was the last person to whom he 
spoke. Right here I wish to remark in an aside upon the 
wonderfully delicate structure of the human body. With 
every faculty at its best, mentally and physically, and the 
red blood coursing at full tide, there came a slight rup- 
ture of a minute capillary within the skull near the right 
temple, through which only one red blood corpuscle could 
pass at a time, and this little seeping leak formed a clot 
no bigger, perhaps, than a small pinhead, and this caused 
the pressure which induced paralysis; and either the clot 
would not absorb or the little leak would not stop, and 
this little thing stopped the wonderful machinery which 
in action is life; and then the golden bowl was broken 
and the silver cord was loosed, and his spirit winged 
its way to the God who made it; and now we trust he is 
at perfect rest. 

Sam Tribble's friendship was as pure and true as the 
" unchanging blue." He was such a friend as one could 
trust without fear of betrayal with the innermost secrets 
of his soul; and how rare is such friendship, such un- 
wavering loyalty! Among the most sacred words to me 
relating to the conduct of man to man is " friend " and 
" friendship." Friendship amidst one's difficulties, friend- 
ship that clings to one when others doubt his motives and 
misconstrue his conduct — " friendship, the cordial drop 
that makes the bitter draught of life go down! " 

He was great because he loved his country, his home, 
his district, his State, his section, and there was not a con- 

[54] 



Address of Mr. Park, of Georgia 



scious moment when he would not, if he deemed it need- 
ful, have freely sacrificed his life on his country's altar. 

His conscience was his guide through this life to an- 
other. He followed its dictates, true as the needle to the 
pole, and there rises before my mental vision the lines of 
Burns to his young friend to heed his conscience : 

Its slightest touches instant pause, 

Debar all side pretenses, 
And resolutely keep her laws 

Uncaring consequences. 

He left a brilliant and devoted wife, one who was more 
helpmeet than most wives can be to their husbands. She 
was his daily consulting companion at all times and 
everywhere ; he left a noble and manly son who will surely 
follow in his footsteps along the pathways of duty; he left 
a beautiful and affectionate daughter who loved him de- 
votedly; and he left many true and tried friends who 
mourn his death. 

We all loved him, w^e love his memory, and trust that 
in the future we will meet and live together again. If for 
no reason given in the Inspired Writings, " by the same 
token that the death-devoted Greek knew that he would 
meet again his own Clemanthe, we know that we will meet 
again. 

"As Ion begins his preparation for sacrifice at the com- 
mand of Athens, Clemanthe his beloved fiance exclaims, 
'And shall we never see each other? ' and, after a pause. 
Ion answers, 'Yes! I have asked that dreadful question 
of the hills that look eternal; of the flowing streams that 
lucid flow forever; of the stars,- amid whose fields of azure 
my raised spirit hath trod in glory; all were dumb; but 
now, while I thus gaze upon thy living face, I feel the love 
that kindles through its beauty can never wholly perish; 
we shall meet again.' " 



[55] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

Some philosopher has wisely or unwisely said that death 
is man's best friend. And what is death to liim who meets 
it with an upright heart? 

A quiet haven where his shattered bark 
Harbors secure 'til the rough storm is past, 
Perhaps a passage overhung with clouds, 
But at its entrance a few leagues beyond. 
Opening to kinder skies and milder suns, 
And seas pacific as the soul that seeks them. 

A deserving and beautiful compliment was paid to him 
by the two able and Christian ministers who conducted 
his funeral exercises at the old Presbyterian Church at 
Athens, the seat of learning, the alma mater of so many 
distinguished Georgians. His pallbearers were among 
the wealthiest and most respected men of that center of 
learning; but higher than sermons and distinguished pall- 
bearers was the simple and, to me, touching testimonial 
of the multitude of plain people who came from the edges 
of his district with increasing numbers as they came to 
view in solemn silence the last rites of the man they had 
loved and learned to love more and more as they knew 
him better and better. 

Sam Tribble was an independent character. " He 
walked a liighway of liis own and kept the company of his 
self-respect." He seldom sought advice, he worked out his 
own problems. He flared with righteous indignation at 
any slight assault made by Members on his State or his 
people, and he struck back like the reflex action of a 
nerve-pricked muscle. He was responsible for his acts 
because they were peculiarly his own. " Like Tennessee's 
pardner, he played a lone hand." 

The close of such a life as his is in keeping with its 
general tenor — calm, peaceful, resigned, hopeful — leaving 
to his family and friends the inestimable heritage of a 
well-spent life in service of God and fellow man. 

[56] 



Address of Mr. Wise, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker: The House of Representatives has set 
apart this hour to pay tribute to the work, life, and char- 
acter of our departed colleague, the late lamented Samuel 
J. Tribble. 

I had known him for quite a number of years casually, 
but from the beginning of my term here we were thrown 
together almost daily until Congress adjourned, discussing 
our work, the different items of legislation, and the best 
and proper way to proceed. Being a new Member, I al- 
ways felt free to discuss anything with him and obtain 
suggestions from him. In our constant association and 
work together I learned to know him, 1 believe, as he 
really was — a kind, courteous, lovable Christian gentle- 
man. 

He was dependable, always at his post, seeking the truth 
and right in everything, doing his duty to his people and to 
his country. His whole ambition here was that he might 
serve his people; to the trust reposed in liim by them he 
was always faithful and true. He had a fine and delicate 
sense of justice and the power to discriminate accurately, 
being able to separate the good from the evil, the true 
from the false; and, when convinced in his own mind of 
the right course to pursue, he possessed the moral courage 
to stand by his convictions. His mind and heart were al- 
ways open to the cry of the distressed, the poor, the needy, 
the oppressed, wherever found; and, be it said to his ever- 
lasting credit and honor, he was always ready to help 
them. 

I could not pay him higher tribute; nay, if he now 
knows — and who will say he does not — he would not have 

[57] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

me say more, nor consider anything a higher honor or 
greater trihute than to say he was the servant, the friend 
of the poor, the needy, the friendless, the weak, the op- 
pressed. 

He was just finishing his third term here and had been 
reelected for another term, showing the faith and confi- 
dence his constituents had in him. He devoted his whole 
time and energy to their interests. His loyaltj' and maj- 
esty of character are shown in his life work. He was of 
a modest demeanor, and had no desire to appear other 
than he really was. He avoided show and ostentatious 
display. 

Sam Tribble was a man, great, not in the large accumu- 
lation of wealth, not in his own estimation, though hold- 
ing high positions of honor and trust, but great in hu- 
mility of life and of that moral character which enables 
one to withstand and overcome all obstacles, and do right 
under all circumstances, as he saw it. 

His early training and life were such as to bring him in 
contact with that class of his fellow citizens which made 
him familiar with the wants, needs, hopes, ambitions, and 
desires of the great mass of toilers of his district and of the 
Nation, and his sympathy always went out to them, and 
he labored tirelessly for their welfare. A striking illus- 
tration of their appreciation and esteem was shown at 
his funeral, when men from all walks of life, and espe- 
cially such as I have referred to, from all over his district 
in large numbers attended and showed their grief for him 
who had always kept them in mind and was faithful to 
their every interest and trust. 

We need more such men in public life, in high positions, 
in legislative halls especially. He was a very useful Mem- 
ber here. 

He is not dead; he has only passed through the gates 
into that unknown land, into a newer and larger life, 

[58] 



Address of Mr. Wise, of Georgia 



waiting and watching for those he loved, free from all 
pain and sorrow. But our friend and colleague is with us 
no more. He has preceded us, but we are reminded that 
we too must travel the same road; whether at some early 
date or in the distant future, may we have so lived that it 
may be said of us, as it can truly be said of him, that he 
was a noble, true, and honest man; that the world is better 
on account of his life; that he contributed some to the sum 
total of human goodness and made many happier. 

Earth seems more sweet to live upon, more full of love, because 
of him. 

The sorrowful crowd which gathered long before the 
hour of the funeral, the procession which accompanied 
his remains to its last resting place, the large floral offer- 
ings laid by friends upon his bier, and the look of sad- 
ness and grief upon the faces of all who gathered to pay 
last tribute of love and respect to his memory showed the 
real esteem in which our colleague was held by his col- 
leagues, his fellow townsmen, and the people of his State. 

Now, as we meet in this Hall where he labored, and 
realizing that he is to meet with us no more, our hearts 
are filled with grief and we feel deeply the loss we have 
sustained. When we remember how he was so suddenly 
stricken, his sufferings, how we watched by his side hop- 
ing against hope, and then how he slipped away, we are 
overwhelmed in our sorrow. We have reached that place 
where earthly help is of no avail in our suffering; yet 
we can look beyond the clouds that overshadow us and 
through faith see the star of hope, and remember the 
assuring promise of Him who said: 

I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, 
though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. 

His death was a distinct loss, not only to his district 
and State, but to the Nation. People, out of gratitude 

[59] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

for service rendered throughout the past, in all ages, have 
built imposing monuments in memory of the lives, char- 
acters, deeds, and virtues of their dead; they remind us 
and generations following of their many lovable traits 
and accomplishments, inspiring us to nobler deeds and 
better lives; but greater than monuments of marble, than 
fame, and wealth is the rich heritage left to his family 
and friends, a life that amid all of its temptations, its 
worries, and disappointments " had kept the whiteness 
of his soul," had lived the true life, worthy and well spent 
in the service of his people. 



[60] 



Address of Mr. Vinson, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker : From the time when God said, " Let there 
be light," and there was light, the evidence He gave us 
of His power and purpose was discoverable in three 
things and they are that He implanted in the human heart 
the sentiment of love, inspired respect for life and rev- 
erence for death. 

Centuries before the cross was erected on Calvary, 
where was consummated the sublimest of all sacrifices, 
the ancients worshiped their mythical gods under the 
belief that they were children of the earth and that by 
their wisdom and power they had transmuted themselves 
into gods and were instrumental and capable, from their 
homes afar off, of controlling the destinies of earth; that 
all changes of season, climate, thunderstorms and tem- 
pests, all ills of mankind, his sorrows, his misfortunes, 
blessings, and comforts, came either from the wrath, 
whim, or pleasure of these beings. 

It is related by the historians that it was no uncommon 
custom among the ancients to offer up human sacrifice 
to the gods and to the spirits of departed friends. 

The progress and enlightenment of mankind have 
changed even the appearance of the bloody sacrifice, and 
we have gathered here to-day to perform a sad but most 
appropriate duty, under a beautiful custom of this great 
lawmaking body, for the purpose of speaking in kind- 
ness and sorrow of a departed Member; to refresh our 
niemories with copious drafts from the fountain of love 
and charity made by our departed colleague while living 
among us; to revive sweet thoughts and pleasant recol- 
lections; to place upon the altar of friendship a sprig 
of evergreen — a little forget-me-not. 

[61] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Tribble 

When we met earlj' in December for the last session 
of the Sixty-fourth Congress, knowing the frailty and un- 
certainty of life, we knew that ere this Congress expired 
by limitation on March 4 of the coming year there would 
be some of us whose voice had become silent, who had 
sunk into that dreamless sleep which kisses down the 
eyelids still; whose form would be absent from this Cham- 
ber; whose seat would be vacant; some who, at the beckon- 
ing of the pale messenger that never tires and never pities, 
would lay aside forever the burden and cares of this life 
and be piloted to the " misty dim regions of Weir," where 
hope is the creator and faith the defender; and within 
one week of the day we convened the soul of Hon. Sam- 
uel J. Tribble had appeared before its Maker. 

On the 4th of December Mr. Tribble was in his seat, 
well and happy, and joined his fellow Members in ex- 
tending congratulations to those who had won reelection 
in November and genuine sympathy to the unfortunate 
ones whose terms must terminate March next. There was 
then no indication that the angel of death hovered so 
closely about our beloved colleague, who had just been 
reelected to the Sixty-fifth Congress and during his so- 
journ in Washington as a Member of the House had be- 
come so popular with all of those with whom he came 
in contact. 

Death is always sad, but it is peculiarly so when it 
strikes at a shining mark and cuts down and terminates 
a life but half spent at the moment the zenith of success 
and happiness has been attained, as it did in this instance. 
It is such cases which cause us to realize how mysterious 
life itself is, and how uncertain. 

Death has since then again visited our body and sum- 
moned to his eternal home another able, valued, and 
popular member, Hon. David E. Finley, of South Carolina. 
Georgia, with sorrow's pain still fresh in her breast and 

[62] 



Address of Mr. Vinson, of Georgia 



tears not yet dry from her own loss, extends loving sym- 
pathy to her sister Commonwealth across the Savannah 
in the sudden and sad bereavement which has come upon 
her. 

Perhaps in all Georgia no man's life furnishes greater 
inspiration and incentive to hope for the young man of 
that State than does that of Mr. Tribble. Born in a small 
hamlet, Samuel J. Tribble, by hard work in the open air 
during his early boyhood days, laid the foundation for a 
strong constitution, which was strengthened in after life 
by freedom from any evil habits. He possessed three pre- 
dominating and cardinal virtues — fidelity, sobriety, and 
industry — to which were added a fund of great common 
sense and a wonderful knowledge of human nature. 
Without influence and starting without means in early 
life, by hard work he overcame one obstacle after an- 
other and made for himself a pathway through life 
marked at every milestone by singular success, in each 
instance due almost entirely to his wonderful industry, 
strong integrity', absolute sobriety, and constant faithful- 
ness and fidelity to trusts confided to him. 

He laid hold of his opportunities, and nobly and grandly 
he rounded out a magnificent character. It is, after all, 
the character that we work out of our opportunities, what- 
ever our ability, that marks the measure and the fullness 
and the grandeur of the man. He was true to his fellow 
men, true to his duties, true to his associates, true and 
loyal to his friends, a devoted husband and father. "We 
are better for our association with him, and the world is 
better that he lived and labored. 

To those who knew him best it seemed as if he had 
placed and constantly kept before him that great motto : 

To thine own self be true, 

And it must follow as the night the day. 

Thou canst not then be false to any man. 



[63] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

And by closely and constantly adhering to this simple 
but hard rule of life he steadily moved on from a country 
boy without influence to honorable membership in the 
greatest body of lawmakers for the greatest Nation in the 
world, and there made for himself a reputation for char- 
acter, industry, ability, and courage that commanded and 
gave to him at all times the esteem and respect of his fel- 
low Mendjers, who are gathered to-day to pay tribute to 
him and his life's work, unfortunately terminated before 
he was 48 years of age and just in fullest prime. 

Surely no man could hope to do more. He is sincerely 
mourned and sadly missed by the wide circle of friends 
and acquaintances he had made. 

He, the young and strong, who cherished 

Noble longings for the strife, 
By the roadside fell and perished, 

Weary with the march of life. 



[64] 



Address of Mr. Heflin, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: Again the death angel has invaded the 
ranks of our membership and he has taken away one of 
the bravest and best Members of this body. 

Sam Tribble was my friend and I was deeply grieved 
when I heard that he was dead. Here he labored earnestly 
and faithfully. 

He was an able and industrious Member of Congress, 
cheerful and enthusiastic in all his labors. 

Just a little wliile ago, Mr. Speaker, we saw him en- 
gaging in the debates in this House and we heard him 
answering the roll calls. But we can hear him speak no 
more — and he has answered his last roll call here. In the 
midst of a busy and a useful life death touched him and he 
fell asleep. In the providence of God I believe that his 
name has been added to the list of the faithful over yon- 
der, and that his splendid spirit is at rest forevermore. 
God bless and comfort his loved ones. 



92439"— 17 5 [65] 



Address of Mr. Rucker, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker: When Mr. Tribble left Athens on Friday 
preceding the meeting of Congress in December he seemed 
full of health, happiness, and brilliancy, and there was 
nothing to indicate that we would have the services of to- 
day commemorative of his services in this House, and yet 
God in His providence has so ordered and he is profoundly 
mourned by the people of the eighth congressional dis- 
trict, into whose confidence and affection he had dug him- 
self deeply. They loved him in life, they deplore him in 
death, and in him they knew they had a friend in whom 
there was no shadow of turning. 

He went directly to the people and made liimself known 
to them, learned their wants, was interested in what they 
desired, and served them faithfully. The eighth district 
of Georgia has had many illustrious Representatives. It 
has had upon this floor as its Representatives Howell 
Cobb, Benjamin H. Hill, Parks Bell, Emory Speer, William 
M. Howard, and many an illustrious person. It never had 
a Representative more true to the people, more watchful 
of their interests, more solicitous of their good than our 
lamented friend. 

I first knew Mr. Tribble when he came as a student to 
the University of Georgia at Athens from the county of 
Franklin — a good old rock-ribbed Democratic county. He 
was graduated from the university with distinguished 
honors, succeeding here as everywhere else and com- 
mencing the practice of law at Athens with the Hon. 
Edward T. Brown, a great lawyer and a man enjoying an 
excellent practice. 

[66] 



Address of Mr. Rucker, of Georgia 



Mr. Tribble made good from the beginning because he 
brought into the practice of his profession high intelli- 
gence, sterling integrity, untiring energy, and a faithful- 
ness that characterized his every act 

After a few years he became a candidate for the office 
of solicitor general in the western circuit and was elected. 
He gave equal rights to all and special privileges to none, 
the high and the low, the rich and the poor alike. There 
was no bitterness in his prosecutions but fairness and 
justice, and he left no wounds, because everyone recog- 
nized that fair play was the order of the day. He won 
the office by a tremendous vote over a strong field, for 
even this early the people had come to know him and 
to love him. After he retired from the office of solicitor 
general he continued the practice of law for a year or two 
and then announced his candidacy for Congress, in oppo- 
sition to the Hon. William M. Howard, a long-time Mem- 
ber of this House who was known for his intelligence and 
high character and deemed invincible. 

This race was in 1910 and one of the hottest that we ever 
had in the eighth congressional district — a district in which 
there has been many a hard fight and as much fine cam- 
paigning as in any district in this great country. He faced 
every shape of power and influence and conquered all. 
He made good in Congress from the beginning. He never 
got a letter he did not answer promptly. He attended to 
every request made of him and got favorable action, and 
the people soon came to know that they had one at Wash- 
ington who could be relied upon in all contingencies. 

In the two succeeding elections he had no opposition, 
but in 1916 he was opposed by Hon. Thomas J. Brown, of 
Elbert County, a gentleman of high standing and charac- 
ter, and he triumphed by a large majority, and at the time 
he was taken away it seemed that he had silenced oppo- 



[67] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

sition, that he had gotten out over the rough waters and 
out in the open sea where every prospect pleased. 

In all his public career he had the support and help of 
his wife, possessed of every grace of mind and heart, of 
his lovely daughter, and his noble son. 

In his first campaign I believe he visited every home and 
every citizen in the eighth congressional district and he 
knew every voter personally. His style of campaigning 
was novel. 

His services here have been beautifully portrayed by his 
fellow Members. They knew him, loved him, and are 
aware of the excellence of his service, of his interest in 
his constituents, and his unswerving integrity. 

I never knew a man who had more of the elements that 
commend one to the love of those he comes in contact 
with than Sam Tribble. It was not hard for him to make 
friends with the people. He loved them and they loved 
him. I observe, Mr. Speaker, that whenever you love any- 
body you will find them loving you, and when they love 
you you may know you love them. 

He had a kind heart and a generous disposition and he 
sought to find good in every person, and he found it. 

Speaking of kindness, I desire here to reproduce some, 
words spoken by Senator Benj. H. Hill years ago in the 
United States Senate: 

Mr. President, we are told that when God created the heavens 
and the earth on the third day. He said, " Let the earth bring forth 
grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after 
his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so." 
From that day to this it has been so. Yet all these seeds must be 
sown in their season and in a climate adapted to their nature, else 
they will perish. But, sir, there is seed which will bear fruit in 
all seasons and in every clime under the heavens. Plant it in the 
cold where the snows never melt, or in the heat where the frosts 
never come; scatter it on the naked rocks or in the most fertile 
soil; drop it in the water or on the land and everywhere, every 



[68] 



Address of Mr. Rucker, of Georgia 



seed will germinate and grow and reward the sower. It is tilled 
by a hand that nevfer tires; it is watched by an eye that never 
sleeps; it is trained by a power that tempers all the elements to its 
healthiest maturity. That seed, sir, is kindness, and I have gar- 
nered its fruits when and where they were least expected. 

I was standing at Heardmont, in Elbert County, Ga., 
near the banks of the Savannah River, when the train 
bearing home the body came upon the long bridge that 
spans the mighty river into Elbert County, Ga., and as the 
train crossed that mighty stream there was a low, mourn- 
ful shriek of the whistle, and I felt that the engineer driv- 
ing the train was flunking of the dear dead he was carry- 
ing home, and he evidenced it by that mournful blast, and 
it came home to me, Sam Tribble is coming home, coming 
into Elbert County, which was the storm center of Iiis first 
race — coming home to be laid away in the beautiful ceme- 
tery at Athens, wliich overlooks the Oconee River, his last 
resting place. There never was a more beautiful ceme- 
teiy. There never was interred in its soil a nobler 
Georgian. Home — a place dear in life, precious in death — 
more genuine pleasure therein to be found than can be 
found in all the splendors and glories of the earth. Those 
at home are the father, mother, the wife, the children, 
the grandchildren, dear relatives. They never go back on 
us but love us to the end. They will never turn their 
backs on us. 

And, Mr. Speaker, I remember with so much pleasure 
this fact, that Mr. Tribble not only professed the Christian 
religion but he practiced if, which is a far better thing. 

I see him now, when on Sabbath evenings when at home, 
he would go into East Athens, a part of the city lived in by 
God-fearing men and women, and he visited the Sunday 
schools and singing schools. Nothing interested him more 
than this work, and he brought sunshine and happiness 



[69] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 



whenever he entered the door. What a sweet reflection 
this is. 

"I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord; he 
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
live, and whosoever liveth and believeth shall never die." 

Life's fitful fever ended, he sleeps well, and may he re- 
new his wasted strength and refresh his fatigued faculties 
in the balmy breezes of heaven's happy home. May a 
kind Providence rest his mighty soul in eternal peace. 

Mr. Walker. Mr. Speaker, 1 ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may be allowed 10 or 15 days to revise and 
extend remarks. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Geor- 
gia [Mr. Walker] requests unanimous consent that gen- 
eral leave to print for all Members be given for 15 days. 
Is there objection? [After a pause.] The Chair hears 
none and it is so ordered. 

Under the resolution already adopted the House stands 
adjourned until Monday, February 5, 1917, at 12 o'clock 
noon. 

Accordingly (at 1 o'clock and 58 minutes) the House 
adjourned to meet to-morrow, Monday, February 5, 1917, 
at 12 o'clock noon. 

Monday, February 26, 1917. 
The Committee informally rose; and Mr. Houston hav- 
ing taken the chair as Speaker pro tempore, a message 
from the Senate, by Mr. Crockett, one of its clerks, an- 
nounced that the Senate had passed the following reso- 
lutions: 

Resolved, That the Senate expresses its profound sorrow on 
account of the death of the Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, late a Member 
of the House of Representatives from the State of Georgia. 



[70] 



Proceedings in the House 



Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended in 
order that fitting tributes may be paid to his high character and 
distinguished public services. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the House of Representatives and to the family of the 
deceased. 

Also: 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
Mr. Finley, Mr. Tbibble, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Moss the Senate do 
now adjourn. 



[71] 



Proceedings in the Senate 

Friday, December 8. 1916. 

Mr. Hardwick. Mr. President, I send to the desk the 
following privileged resolutions and ask for tlieir adop- 
tion. 

The resolutions were read, considered by unanimous 
consent, and unanimously agreed to, as follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the 
announcement of the death of Hon. Samuel J. Tbibble, late a 
Representative from the State of Georgia. 

Resolved, That a committee of nine Senators be appointed by 
the Vice President to join a committee appointed on the part of 
the House of Representatives to take order for superintending the 
funeral of the deceased. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to the 
family of the deceased. 

The Presiding Officer appointed as the committee un- 
der the second resolution Mr. Smith of Georgia, Mr. Hard- 
wick, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Johnson of Maine, Mr. Ashurst, Mr. 
Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Norris, Mr. Sterling, and 
Mr. Fernald. 

Mr. Hardwick. Mr. President, I move as a further mark 
of respect to the memory of the deceased that the Senate 
do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 2 
o'clock p. m.) the Senate adjourned, the adjournment 
being until Monday, December 11, 1916, at 12 o'clock m. 

Wednesday, February 21, 1917. 
Mr. Kern. The Senator from West Virginia [Mr. Chil- 
ton] gave notice that on Saturday, the 24th instant, he 
would ask the Senate to take action touching the life, 

[73] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

character, and public services of the late Representative 
William G. Rrown and the late Representative H. H. 
Moss, of West Virginia. Later tlie Senator from Soutli 
Carolina [Mr. Tillman] gave notice that he would ask 
the Senate on the same day to take action regarding the 
death of the late Representative Finley. 

The Presiding Officer. If tlie Senator will pardon the 
Chair, it is desired that he shall ask that the service also 
include memorial addresses upon the late Representative 
Tribble, of Georgia. 

Mr. Kern. I will also include memorial addresses on the 
late Representative Tribble, of Georgia. The Senators I 
named asked me to request unanimous consent that the 
Senate meet on Sunday, the 25th instant, at 2 o'clock in 
the afternoon to consider resolutions on the death of these 
deceased Representatives. 

The Presiding Officer. Is there objection? 

Mr. Jones. What was the request? 

The Presiding Officer. The request was that the Sen- 
ate hold memorial services for certain deceased Members 
of the House of Representatives on Sunday, the 25th, at 
2 o'clock p. m. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

Sunday, February 25, 1917. 

(Legislative day of Tuesday, Feb. 20, 1917.) 
The Senate reassembled at 2 o'clock p. m., on the ex- 
piration of the recess. 

The President pro tempore. The Chair lays before the 
Senate resolutions from the House of Representatives, 
which will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions as follows : 

February 4, 1917. 

In the House of Representatives of the United States. 
Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. 

[74] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



Samuel J. Tribble, late a Member of this House from the State of 
Georgia. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career, the House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand 
adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased. 

Mr. Hardwick. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions 
which I send to the desk. 

The President pro tempore. The resolutions submitted 
by the Senator from Georgia will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions (S. Res. 374), as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate expresses its profound sorrow on 
account of the death of the Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, late a Member 
of the House of Representatives from the State of Georgia. 

Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended in 
order that fitting tributes may be paid to his high character and 
distinguished public services. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso- 
lutions to the House of Representatives and to the family of the 
deceased. 



[75] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Hardwick, of Georgia 

Mr. President: On the first day of the present session 
of Congress Hon. Samuel J. Tribble, Representative from 
the eighth district of Georgia, was stricken with apoplexy, 
and after lingering for a few days in one of the hospitals 
of this city, died there on December 8, 1916. 

This sudden and tragic event came absolutely without 
warning or notice, like a bolt from the blue sky, for Mr. 
Tribble was apparently in the very best of health and 
spirits, full of life, ambition, and energy— and on the very 
morning that he was stricken I had a long and friendly 
conference with him respecting the work of the present 
session and his own part therein. That he should have 
been stricken down in the very prime of his manhood and 
usefulness is not only inexplicable but inexpressibly sad, 
and it was a great shock as well as a great sorrow to me 
and to his other associates here and to many thousands of 
his friends in Georgia. 

The eighth district of Georgia, which he represented in 
the Sixty-second, Sixty-third, and Sixty-fourth Congresses, 
and of which he was the Representative elect in the 
Sixty-fifth Congress at the time of his death, is remarkable 
for the many splendid men it has sent to Washington. In 
the ante bellum period Howell Cobb represented it. 
Strong, able, brilliant, forceful, he became Speaker of the 
House of Representatives before he was 40, and a great 
party leader in those stormy days. Robert Toombs served 
it before he came to this body to illustrate Georgia. Since 
the war, its representation has been worthy of its old tra- 
ditions and it has sent many able and useful men to Wash- 
ington. One of the most remarkable of these was William 
Marcellus Howard, who after 14 years of brilliant service 

[77] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

in the House, was defeated in 1910 by Mr. Tribble, and the 
fact that Mr. Tribble defeated him is splendid evidence 
of the remarkable hold that Mr. Tribble had upon the 
affections and confidence of the people of the eighth dis- 
trict 

Coming to Congress as tlie successor of a brilliant and 
noted man, Mr. Tribble's path was not an easy one, and 
it is therefore with genuine and sincere pleasure that I 
bear testimony to tlie fact that he measured up from the 
beginning to the high responsibilities that were upon him. 

A man of good mind, an earnest, honest, sincere, coura- 
geous Representative, he brought to the performance of 
his duties in that post indefatigable industry, high-minded 
courage, and unselfish patriotism. His principal legisla- 
tive labors were upon the House Committee on Naval 
Affairs, of which committee he was one of the most promi- 
nent members, and liis useful and eflQcient service on that 
committee is attested by all of its members. 

In company with a number of his colleagues from both 
Houses of Congress, 1 attended his funeral services at liis 
old home, Athens, Ga., the beautiful university town of 
our great State. I have never seen more universal, more 
touching, and more sincere demonstrations of real grief 
than came from his people when we brought him back 
to them, and I can never forget the great, silent, tear- 
stained concourse of people who witnessed the consign- 
ing of his remains to their long rest in beautiful Oconee 
Cemetery. 

Mr. President, a good man has gone. A just, honest, 
earnest, God-fearing, and God-loving public servant is no 
more. Our country will miss him, our State will mourn 
him, and his friends will never forget his memory. Peace 
to his ashes. A good man sleeps his last, his well-earned 
sleep. May God console his friends and comfort his 
family. 

[78] 



Address of Mr. Smith, of Georgia 

Mr. President: In the loss of the Hon. Samuel J. Tribble 
we are again impressively reminded of the uncertain 
tenure of life. He returned to us about the 1st of Decem- 
ber for the resumption of his congressional duties with 
every appearance of health, with every reason to antici- 
pate a long and continuous service. He had just passed 
through a contest with one of the strongest men in his 
district and his people had given him an overwhelming 
indorsement, an indorsement so nearly unanimous that 
it is safe to say for many years at least no one would have 
offered against him. To have done so would have been 
to invite almost certain defeat. With such a brilliant 
future before him, suddenly, almost without notice, he 
was taken. 

Mr. Tribble was born a little more than 47 years ago in 
Franklin County, Ga. That is a county inhabited almost 
entirely by whites, having no large cities within its 
boundaries. It is a large county, populated by a won- 
derfully sturdy and prosperous class of farmers. The 
farms are not what would be called large farms, but they 
are large enough for the splendid men who own them and 
who deem it a privilege in part to till them with their own 
hands as well as to direct cultivation with their brain, to 
earn from agriculture the comforts of life. They are a 
people distinguished for their courage, their industry, 
their thrift, and their independence. 

It was from a parentage typical of the very best of 
Franklin County that Samuel J. Tribble inherited and 
prized those splendid qualities which came to distinguish 
him in after life. He spent his boyhood in part helping 



[79] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 

upon the farm, but taking advantage of all the school 
opportunities of his county. He might well have remained 
in the county and followed the line of work of his an- 
cestors, but he had an aspiration to practice law, and, after 
completing his course in the schools of the count)', he 
went to the University of Georgia at Athens. There he 
stood among the very best at the college, taking a high 
rank for his character, for his industry, and for Ms in- 
tellectual strength. He also graduated from the law 
school of the university and then opened a law office in 
Athens. 

Athens has been the home of as great lawyers as ever 
lived in the United States. From their number I may 
mention Joseph Henry Lumpkin, William Hope Hull, 
Thomas R. R. Cobb, and Benjamin Harvey Hill. It was a 
place of great culture and refinement. This ambitious boy 
from the country walked into a law office in Athens and 
at once took a position along with the very best, inspiring 
the confidence of men and growing day by day. He was 
soon made prosecuting attorney of the city court of Athens 
and a little later on he became a candidate for solicitor 
general of the western circuit, where the judge and the 
solicitor conduct the business in half a dozen or more 
counties. He ran against a man of influence and prestige, 
but was elected by a handsome majoritj'. Subsequently 
he entered the race for Congress. My colleague [Mr. Hard- 
wick] has called attention to the character of the opponent 
he encountered, and to his long and distinguished record. 

He has called our attention to the illustrious men who 
have represented that district. He might have added an- 
other since the war, in everj' particular the equal of those 
who represented the district before the war. I refer to the 
great Georgian, Benjamin Harvey Hill, the ablest debater 
I ever heard. 



[80] 



Address of Mr. Smith, of Georgia 



Mr. Tribble was elected to Congress in this first race by 
a good majority of the popular vote. Of his splendid 
service in the House of Representatives his colleagues 
have borne ample testimony. It is with all of us a source 
of deep regret that he has not been spared longer to serve 
that district. 

His hold upon his people was deserved. It was due not 
alone to his ability and to Ms patient care about matters 
pertaining to the interest of his district; it was due also 
to the fact that he really thought with and felt with the 
people of his district; that he really loved the people of 
his district; that his heart really went out to those sturdy 
men all over his district, who were represented by the 
men I have described in Franklin County. There never 
was a moment from the time he reached maturity that 
he did not love and long to be of real use to it, not sim- 
ply by showy speech but practically in any detail of serv- 
ice that was within his reach. He longed not onlj' to 
serve them and to watch those problems that woidd con- 
serve their interest upon the floor of the House, but he 
longed to serve them all the time and in every way; and 
I will mention one thing that he did during the vacation 
that commended itself to me and that I cordially 
appreciated. 

He had a few months of leisure when Congress was not 
in session, and after canvassing his district and discuss- 
ing political questions in the ordinary way he conceived 
the idea of giving an entertainment to his people; and 
in the smaller towns, not often visited bj' lecturers, where 
the people had not been given some of the opportunities 
that are found in larger cities, he gave an illustrated lec- 
ture on the public buildings of Washington, on the prog- 
ress of the Navy, on progress in development and science 
that was a perfect treat to his people. He devoted a num- 
ber of weeks of careful labor to going over his district. 



92439°— 17 6 [81] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Tribble 



entertaining and instructing them and broadening the 
vision of his people. 

Mr. Tribble took his responsibilities seriously. He re- 
garded oflBce as a serious responsibility, one that meant 
more than mere pleasure to the occupant; one that meant 
more than mere reputation; one that gave a chance to 
serve his people; and the great thought of his life was 
how he could serve them and how he really could reach 
out in detail to the individual citizens and be of actual 
service to them. 

Mr. President, his life is an inspiration to the young 
man who is willing to climb by industry and devotion to 
dut}', and it is a lesson to us. "We may well realize that 
mere patriotic effusions of fervid eloquence are not of 
equal service to our constituents with the careful thought 
that seeks to open wider the doors of opportunity to the 
less fortunate; that seeks to give a chance for better pre- 
paredness to the children of those of scant incomes, that 
parents may look forward to children whose opportunities 
have made it possible for them to be ready for the joys 
and struggles of life, to meet them more successfully than 
their parents have done. 

Mr. Hardwick. Mr. President, I ask for the adoption of 
the resolutions which I have offered. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 

Mr. Chilton. Mr. President, 1 move, as a further mark 
of respect to the memory of Mr. Finley, Mr. Tribble, Mr. 
Brown, and Mr. Moss, that the Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to, and (at 4 
o'clock and 5 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Monday, February' 26, 1917, at 11 o'clock a. m. 



^ 



[82] 



